Catch for pockets.



G. HOLMGRANS & C. G. BERGSTROM' GA TOH FOR POGKETS. APPLICATION FILED IEB.27, 1911.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

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Specification or Letters ream.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

a lication ma rebmar 27, m 1. serial 1T0. engzae.

To all whom it may concern? Be it known that we, CARL HOLMCRANS and CARL G. BERGSTRUM, citizens 'of the vUnited States, residing at Boston, county ticularly to a pocket catch for securing that part of a garment against accidental or malicious openin The usual pocIxet, as formed in Wearing apparel, is a notoriously unsafe receptacle for any article of value. This is due partly to the fact that a pocket, having cloth walls is of necessity rather a flimsy affair and liable even in the most carefully constructed garments to sag or gape open. This either permits the accidental escapement of articles contained and, their consequent loss, or makes easy the work of the pick pocket whose art is as old as that of pocket making but which has been heretofore developed to a much higher degree of skill in practice and success in result.

It has been attempted to protect pockets by flaps and even by buttons, but such constructions have not been anywhere near adequate either to overcome the liability to accidental loss or to foil the skill of the light fingers of the professional thief.

It is the object of our present invention to provide a catch which shall be capable of afl'ording protection to a pocket andwhich shall be so simple in operation as to cause no annoyance to the user and which will be effective in preventing loss from whatever cause. This we secure by providing interengaging means on the two faces of the pocket so related that the normal downpull of Weight at the bottom of the pocket tends to hold the same securely locked.

The construction and operation of our device will be more fully described in the specification which follows.

In the specification we have made reference to a particular construction which we find well adapted .to practical use. This embodiment we have illustrated in the drawings which form a part of the specification and throughout specification and drawings like reference numerals are employed to indicate corresponding arts.

In the drawings ig'ur'e 1 is a diagrammatic view of a section of a with our device, Fig. 2 is a front view of the catch plate, Fig. 3 is a front view of the socket piece, Fig. 4 is a central vertical section of the socket piece and catch 7 piece engaged, and Fig. 5 is a transverse section of a socket piece.

' 1 and 2 are, respectively, the inner and outer walls or faces of a pocket 3 formed'in a garment 4.

5 is the edge formed between the outer wall 2 and the garment 4.

6 is a plate having marginal perforations 7 for stitching to the pocket wall and centrally of the plate is a head or T shaped catch piece 8. 10 is a rear plate having a spring tongue 11 struck up therefrom, while 12 1s a front plate having-a vertical T slot 13 vertically disposed therein. The

margins 13 of the slot 13 are turned down to form a pair of inwardly directed flanges. The spring 11 bears against the inner edges ofthese flanges 13' and presses yieldingly against the same. The catch piece 6 is located slightly below the socket piece 12 and preferably has its headed catch 8 normally on the level of the bottom of the slot 13. In this way, when the pocket is in its proper position the headed catch piece 8 may occupy its locked position in the bottom of the slot 13 without either a tendency to lift up on it or a drag on the socket.

In use the edge of the pocket 5 would be grasped between the thumb and forefinger and the pocket wall 2 slightly raised until the head catch 8 came opposite the cross slot at the top of the T slot 13. The headed piece 8 might then be inserted in the slot and pushed down along the edges of the slot 13 until the end is reached. Itis to be noted that the flanges 13 terminate just short of the bottom of the slot 13, thereby permitting the extension of the head 8 to drop behind the ends of the flanges 13' and be held there under the action of the-spring 11.

To unlock the pocket the plate 6 is simply pressed inwardly until the headed portion of the catch piece 8 clears the edges of the sl0ts'13' then, by raising the edge of the pocket equipped ipocket' 5 the catch 8 may be brought out without departing from the spirit of our inand inclined out-wardl therefrom, a socket througlrthe top of the T slot and the pocket left free.

Various modifications may be made in the structure and operation of our device, all

vention if within the limits of the appended claim.

What we therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is A catch of the class described comprising a catch plate having a catch member,

a base plate having a resilient integral tongue struck up from the metal thereof plate mounted on sai base plate having a T-shaped locking slot therein, in which said 

